The Lower Snake Dams: Ethical, Economic, and Environmental Implications of the Status Quo

Introduction

The dams on the Lower Snake were built between 1961 and 1975 with the primary purpose of  lengthening the inland shipping channel   . Along with providing a minimal amount  of energy, principally used to support the aluminum industry,  these dams have also brought with them a host of other consequences, some intentional, and others perhaps not foreseeable. There are many stakeholders who are somehow invested in the river and its various uses. This paper examines the interests of the principal stakeholders, and how they can and should be incorporated into future policy.

The stakeholders discussed are:
Ø      The Aluminum Industry
Ø      Agriculture
Ø      Tribes
Ø      Fish and Environment
Ø      Municipalities
Ø & Navigation

There are many resources available for use in the Lower Snake, and many laws governing their various uses. These laws sometimes stand at odds with each other, and any decision to change the fate of the dams would be a decision placing some stakeholder’s rights above others.

 Principally, runs that once were full of salmon, are now at record low levels, with some populations actually extinct, and many others endangered. . This has come about by legislation and action supporting industrial uses of the river. We will examine the river from the perspective of each stakeholder, and take a look at the legal and ethical dilemmas surrounding the dams and their future.

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Send questions or comments to the Dr. Zerbe: zerbe@u.washington.edu

Photographs of  the Snake River & Grande Tetons and the watermark of Image Lake, Washington are copyrighted property of SuperStock, Inc.